JOB SPECIAL....When and how to switch to a new job

When and how to switch to a new job Disgruntlement at your current workplace or low salary may lead you to look for another job. Here’s how to prepare yourself and evaluate whether the new job is right for you.     March may well be the month of contemplation. You not only take stock of your personal balance sheet because it’s taxsaving time, but also a hard look at career growth after the intense appraisal talk with your boss. Strained finances or a dead-end job, either of these could prompt you to look for better opportunities.     However, the first thing you need to ask yourself is the reason for switching jobs. Wrong answers could stem from temporary issues like a difficult project or a showdown with a colleague. The correct answers hinge on lack of growth opportunities, market correction for salary, consistent unhappiness, reassignment of work away from you or an immediate prospect of being laid off. The common reasons for switching jobs are poor work relationships, excessive workload or even lack of challenges. However, you need to be sure that your unhappiness can be ascribed to your job, not to a particular event, or that getting fired is a real possibility, not an irrational worry.     The second question is, when should I change jobs? The answer: definitely before you get laid off. Recruiters undervalue unemployed professionals and this reduces your chances of landing a new role. As a thumb rule, start looking for a new job before you desperately need to. You will need to work hard for 3-6 months to find a better role, and more time at senior levels. Starting a couple of months before your bonus or increment cycle is a good idea since the change in salary will be factored in by the time you land the offer letter. The biggest hurdle to making an effort is probably your fear of stepping out of your comfort zone. How to prepare for the job market Adopt a job seeker’s attitude. Consider yourself a salesperson who needs to actively sell himself. You will have to prepare your marketing document, research your customer, find a way to make a ‘warm call’ (get in touch with your contacts in other organisations) and communicate how you can meet the company’s needs.     Start with your resume, which is the first step that helps draw attention to you and gets you shortlisted for a meeting. Since each customer requires a different marketing message, you have to customise your resume for each role. Next, research about the companies that you want to apply to or the ones that have advertised vacancies, as also the roles you want to take up. Recruiters and line managers have little patience with under-prepared professionals. For an advertised job, connect with the recruiter directly. For everything else, tap into your network of personal and professional contacts to get a chance to speak to someone within the organisation. This is your warm call. If you are fortunate, your contact will refer your case to a decisionmaker and arrange an interview with him.     Then, if your resume passes muster, you will be called for an interview. Use this time judiciously to present your case and explain how you fit the firm and role. Focus on what the company wants, not on your own needs, fears, and aspirations. What to look for in a new job? After you cross the first hurdle, you need to ensure that the new role is really what you want. So, what should you ask the recruiter while evaluating a new job? To begin with, check the salary. Go through job advertisements to figure out the current market compensation for your skill-set and experience. If this information is not available, you can ask for a 10-30% hike while switching jobs. Go up to 50% if your previous job was with a good brand but a poor pay master. However, you will need to be open to a cut in salary if you are switching sectors or industries.     The next important consideration is the travel time that the job will demand and the time spent in commuting each day as both of these will affect the work-life balance you are looking for.     After this, find out about the work load and the company’s culture. Will your new role and future boss offer you independence at work? What is the kind of atmosphere in your future team—competitive, collaborative or couldn’t-careless? Does the organisation place a premium on facetime, which means that people rarely leave the office before 10 pm? Is it understaffed so that most weekends are spent in the office? An 80-hour week may not be your cup of tea and you will not have the time to look for an alternate job. What will be your contribution and that of your team to the firm’s bottom line? How critical will you be to the top management? This is a double-edged sword since the more attention you will get, the more stressed you are likely to be.     Lastly, find out more about the company. What are its key products or services? How well are they selling? How is the firm doing vis-à-vis the rest of the industry? How is the sector going to fare over the next few years? Are there any major threats on the horizon? These will give an indication of whether there will be opportunities for growth or you will stagnate/get laid off for no fault of yours. Finally, to hedge yourself against unforeseen events, go for an employer with whom you wouldn’t mind spending the next 15 years compared with a firm that looks good in the short term. 5 situations in which you may consider a switch 1 Shrek You have an ogre as your boss whose working style or overbearing attitude stifles you. You struggle to survive each day through a series of draining events and conversations. Career progression and learning are last on your mind. Quit. Pronto! 2 The lion king A change of guard at the top may spell disaster to the favourites of the previous boss. A direct or even an insidious witch hunt could leave you high and dry. Unless you move first and shift out. 3 Titanic Your firm has struck an iceberg in the business world, perhaps due to lack of working capital, and is sinking fast. If you want to ensure your survival, take a lifeboat. Leave the company too late and prospective employers are likely to question your judgement. 4 Toy story Technology has changed and the customer has outgrown his old toys. The industry is going through a massive shrink and revamp. The early birds will quit and change industry smoothly. The followers will cause a glut in the market and no one will want them at the same level. Make the first move. 5 Ice age The work environment is changing. You can adapt and learn to live with the new challenges or be crushed by not moving. Re-skill, re-start, relocate. An academic break may help you make a switch. DEVASHISH CHAKRAVARTY an alumnus of IIMAhmedabad and CEO of Quetzal Verify, an HR solutions company. ETW13025

JOB When and how to switch to a new job Disgruntlement at your current workplace or low salary may lead you to look for another job. Here’s how to prepare yourself and evaluate whether the new job is right for you.     March may well be the month of contemplation. You not only take stock of your personal balance sheet because it’s taxsaving time, but also a hard look at career growth after the intense appraisal talk with your boss. Strained finances or a dead-end job, either of these could prompt you to look for better opportunities.     However, the first thing you need to ask yourself is the reason for switching jobs. Wrong answers could stem from temporary issues like a difficult project or a showdown with a colleague. The correct answers hinge on lack of growth opportunities, market correction for salary, consistent unhappiness, reassignment of work away from you or an immediate prospect of being laid off. The common reasons for switching jobs are poor work relationships, excessive workload or even lack of challenges. However, you need to be sure that your unhappiness can be ascribed to your job, not to a particular event, or that getting fired is a real possibility, not an irrational worry.     The second question is, when should I change jobs? The answer: definitely before you get laid off. Recruiters undervalue unemployed professionals and this reduces your chances of landing a new role. As a thumb rule, start looking for a new job before you desperately need to. You will need to work hard for 3-6 months to find a better role, and more time at senior levels. Starting a couple of months before your bonus or increment cycle is a good idea since the change in salary will be factored in by the time you land the offer letter. The biggest hurdle to making an effort is probably your fear of stepping out of your comfort zone. How to prepare for the job market Adopt a job seeker’s attitude. Consider yourself a salesperson who needs to actively sell himself. You will have to prepare your marketing document, research your customer, find a way to make a ‘warm call’ (get in touch with your contacts in other organisations) and communicate how you can meet the company’s needs.     Start with your resume, which is the first step that helps draw attention to you and gets you shortlisted for a meeting. Since each customer requires a different marketing message, you have to customise your resume for each role. Next, research about the companies that you want to apply to or the ones that have advertised vacancies, as also the roles you want to take up. Recruiters and line managers have little patience with under-prepared professionals. For an advertised job, connect with the recruiter directly. For everything else, tap into your network of personal and professional contacts to get a chance to speak to someone within the organisation. This is your warm call. If you are fortunate, your contact will refer your case to a decisionmaker and arrange an interview with him.     Then, if your resume passes muster, you will be called for an interview. Use this time judiciously to present your case and explain how you fit the firm and role. Focus on what the company wants, not on your own needs, fears, and aspirations. What to look for in a new job? After you cross the first hurdle, you need to ensure that the new role is really what you want. So, what should you ask the recruiter while evaluating a new job? To begin with, check the salary. Go through job advertisements to figure out the current market compensation for your skill-set and experience. If this information is not available, you can ask for a 10-30% hike while switching jobs. Go up to 50% if your previous job was with a good brand but a poor pay master. However, you will need to be open to a cut in salary if you are switching sectors or industries.     The next important consideration is the travel time that the job will demand and the time spent in commuting each day as both of these will affect the work-life balance you are looking for.     After this, find out about the work load and the company’s culture. Will your new role and future boss offer you independence at work? What is the kind of atmosphere in your future team—competitive, collaborative or couldn’t-careless? Does the organisation place a premium on facetime, which means that people rarely leave the office before 10 pm? Is it understaffed so that most weekends are spent in the office? An 80-hour week may not be your cup of tea and you will not have the time to look for an alternate job. What will be your contribution and that of your team to the firm’s bottom line? How critical will you be to the top management? This is a double-edged sword since the more attention you will get, the more stressed you are likely to be.     Lastly, find out more about the company. What are its key products or services? How well are they selling? How is the firm doing vis-à-vis the rest of the industry? How is the sector going to fare over the next few years? Are there any major threats on the horizon? These will give an indication of whether there will be opportunities for growth or you will stagnate/get laid off for no fault of yours. Finally, to hedge yourself against unforeseen events, go for an employer with whom you wouldn’t mind spending the next 15 years compared with a firm that looks good in the short term. 5 situations in which you may consider a switch 1 Shrek You have an ogre as your boss whose working style or overbearing attitude stifles you. You struggle to survive each day through a series of draining events and conversations. Career progression and learning are last on your mind. Quit. Pronto! 2 The lion king A change of guard at the top may spell disaster to the favourites of the previous boss. A direct or even an insidious witch hunt could leave you high and dry. Unless you move first and shift out. 3 Titanic Your firm has struck an iceberg in the business world, perhaps due to lack of working capital, and is sinking fast. If you want to ensure your survival, take a lifeboat. Leave the company too late and prospective employers are likely to question your judgement. 4 Toy story Technology has changed and the customer has outgrown his old toys. The industry is going through a massive shrink and revamp. The early birds will quit and change industry smoothly. The followers will cause a glut in the market and no one will want them at the same level. Make the first move. 5 Ice age The work environment is changing. You can adapt and learn to live with the new challenges or be crushed by not moving. Re-skill, re-start, relocate. An academic break may help you make a switch. DEVASHISH CHAKRAVARTY an alumnus of IIMAhmedabad and CEO of Quetzal Verify, an HR solutions company. ETW13025